Corn-cutter



J. E. SIVHTH.

CORN CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-13.1919.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

J. E. SMITH.

CORN CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.T3, 1919.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- umran srarss PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. SMITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-T31R15 TO GEORGE SEPER,

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. I

OORN-CUTTEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. '7, 19 20.

Application filed September 13, 1919. Serial No. 323,638.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful tors to lean out in opposite dlrections from the sled and in thelr arms to gather in the Improvements in Corn-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an apparatus for cutting broom corn, Kafir corn, sugar cane, sorghum, or the like. It is sometimes briefly denominated a corn sled. The objects of this invention are safety for those engaged in cutting corn and the like, economy in the number of men employed for that purpose, and an increase of the quantity cut as compared to the time or labor expended.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a top-plan view;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4;4inFig.1; f

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the draft-rigging; and a Fig. 6 is a bottom plan View showing the means for making one of the runners adjustable.

' Heretofore it has been customary to build sleds like this with seats for two operators and knives on both sides of th'e'sled. The seats for the workmen were'located between the cutters. In practice, this has proved a very dangerous location for the workmen. and, bv reason thereof. many persons have beeninjured, some of them fatally. A frightened team or a jolt'over "a stump or rock has in many instances been known to throw the operator down uponthe cutterblade with one of his feet or legs upon the ground in'advance of the cutter, which was drag ed over it bythe team. In contradistinction to the foregoing, the seat 1 in this present construction is located off to one side ,from the single cutter-blade 2 and in such 7 a posit on as to enable theoperator to save him elf without coming into contact with the blade 2 even in case of accident.

In the former devices of this character, it was customary to use a team of horses, whereas with this device a single horse will suffice, which results in great economy.

The said former devices forced the operastalks of grain falling after being out and to hold in their arms the stalks thus gathered either until the end of a row or until the arms became too full to hold any more; whereupon it would be neces ary to stop the sled and free the arms of the operators and to make a new beginning.

This present device provides a flexible resilient curved arm 3, which holds the stalks on one side while frame 4 holds them on the other side, until the forward movement of the sled 5 brings the knife 2 into contact with the stalks, which have been guided thereto by the arm 3, the frame 4, and. in part, by the cam-part 6 of the arm 3. The severed stalks slide olf'the tip 7 of arm 3, being at that time held at their lower ends in pocket 8 and the tip 7 gives them an impulse at the top that throws them forward into the cradle composed of the'fjrarnes Sand 10. i

' "T he draft-rigging is attached through eyes formed by straps 11 and is compo ed oflinks 12 having eyes 13 and 14 and links 1 5 hav- 2 into cutting contact with them.

One of the'runners-21 is foreshortenechas plainlv shown in Fig. "1, while its mate extends to about the rear of the sled. As pla nly shown in Fig. 2, the rear part of runner 20 rests upon the ground like the longrunners 21, .andthis height for runner 20 continues to about the point where foreshortened runner 21 terminates, while for- -wardly thereof runner 20 tapers upwardly and projects like an arm.

The pocket 8 is formed by making a recess or cut in the sled body, and the sled body at 22 is wider than the forward part of the sled body, so as to receive and hold the knife 2 and present the same at the rear of pocket 23, as well as at the rear of pocket 8.

The knife 2 is preferably set at a slant, as plainly shown in Fig. 1, so as to allow the grain stalks that approach it through pocket 23 to receive a sliding or glancing cut.

The runner 20 is made adjustable, so that it can occupy the position shown either in the full lines or in the dotted lines in Fig. 1. For this purpose, it is provided with a slot 24, through which brace ,25 is securely fastened to the runner 21 on the opposite side of the sled and, also, to the rear body-portion 22. A brace 26 is likewise fastened to the same runner 21 and to the body 22 and to brace 25 and to one end of the said brace 26. The runner 20 is pivoted at 27. The slot 28 is made of such size, as is also slot 24, that the movement of runner 20, inwardly to occupy the dotted-line position in Fig. 1 or in the reverse direction, does not cause braces 26 and 25 to bind on their respective slots 28 and 24.

In order that runner 20 may be held quite rigid, it is fastened by bolts 29 to rack 34 by means of the depending arm 31 integral therewith. By bolts 32, that pass through slot 33 in rack 30, the said rack is bound into close engagement with the teeth on notched plate 34, fastened to'the underneath side of 7 body 22.

Rack 30, is above the notched plate 34, and the teeth on the underneath side of rack 30 engage the teeth or notches on the upper side of plate 34.

It is to be borne in mind, that instead of employing runners such as described hereinbefore, the device may be caused to function equally well by the substitution of wheels, or other mechanical equivalents.

Having thus described this invention, I hereby reserve the benefit of all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts, as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sled proper, an additional runner attached thereto and projecting away therefrom at an acute angle, the forward part of the said runner being above the ground and curved upwardly and the rear part of the said runner extending to the ground, a pocket cut in the sled body, and a knife within the said pocket. I

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sled proper, an additional runner attached thereto and projecting away therefrom at an acute angle, the forward part of the said runner being above the ground and curved upwardly and the rear part of the said runner extending to the ground, a pocket cut in the sled body, and a knife within the said pocket, the said knife extending from within the said pocket outwardly to the said additional runner.

3. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a sled proper, an additional runner attached thereto and projecting away therefrom at an acute angle, the forward part of the said runner being above the ground and curved upwardly and the rear part of the said runner extending to the ground, a pocket in the sled body, and a knife within the said pocket, the said knife extending from Within the said pocketoutwardly to the said additional runner and being slanted forwardly relative to a transverse section of the sled.

4. A sled of the character described having apair of runners in the forward part, one of which extends to approximately the rear end of the sled and the other of which is foreshortened, a third runner which is of height'equal to the said foreshortened runner 1n the rear part of the said third runner and forward thereof tapers upwardly, a

pocket in the main body of the sled, and a knife within the said pocket.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a body, a runner, the said runner having slots therein, a brace or braces borne by the said body and entering the said slots, a notched plate fastened to the said body, a rack attached to the said runner and having a slot therein, and bolts for locking the said rack to the said plate.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a body, a runner, the said runner having slots therein, a brace or braces borne by the said body and entering the said slots, a notched plate fastened to the said body, a rack attached to the said runner and having a slot therein, and bolts for locking the said rack to the said plate, the said runner being in pivotal connection with a brace attached to the said body.

7 In a device of the character described, a body having a laterally extended pocket formed in the rearward portion thereof, a runner carried by said body and angularly adjustable with relation thereto, cutting means carried by the body adjacent the rear side of the pocket, and a cradle on the body directly forward of said pocket, and means for receiving and retaining the matter cut by the cutting means as the same falls onto said body.

8. 1n a device of the character described, through and with the arcuate plate for lockthe combination of a body, a runner having ing the same to said plate, the runner being slots therein, a brace on the body entering in pivotal relation to the brace on said body. 10 said slots, a notched plate secured to the In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my body adjacent one side thereof, a slotted arsignature. cuate plate attached to said runner, and a means adjacent the plate and engageable JAMES E. SMITH 

